Lots at steak?

A hot day usually calls for some creamy ice cream or some frozen, frozen yogurt. Funnily and ironically enough, on a blistering summer afternoon, with the sun throwing spears at us, we head out for sizzlers! 

Kobe, our destination, is a famed sizzler and steak joint that enjoys a staunch following in Mumbai and some other metros, and the joint at Chennai is located inside a inconspicuous building. Sitting in functionally done interiors, sipping on some extremely welcome iced tea, we ponder over the menu, which is exhaustive. Considering it is supposed to be an out and out steak joint, we are sorely disappointed to see manchow soup on the menu. Originality anyone?

The starters section again, offers everything from aloo chat to Weiner Schintzel (thin lamb strips with chips), and then there are the pizzas, sandwiches and pastas. The soup menu is pretty global, while the salad section offers options ranging from the staple Caesar salad to the innovative macaroni and fruits, and to the not-so-healthy fish mayonnaise. This leaves us confused, so we decide to rely on our trusted steward’s advice. Unfortunately, he also doesn’t seem to have a clue and suggests that everything is ‘yexxxellent’ so we must try as much as we can! I look at him irritated and wonder to my self if our not so petite frames have anything to do with his wise-ass suggestion, till the logical part of my brain takes over.

We begin our meal with sausages and chips; while the sausages are tasty enough, they are a tad dry. We had a real problem with the chips…or the lack of them (almost). A few more (or a lot more) fingers thrown in wouldn’t hurt so much, would it? Next up, we bite into the famed chilli cheese toast and pretty much get why the item is so popular up North. The toast is delightfully good, with a creamy sauce and just the right bite of fresh green chillies that makes our taste buds stand up at attention. We have a problem with the portions again though.

The small talk done with, we are ready to get to the point finally. Bring on the sizzlers. Now, the sizzlers are the titans in this eatery and they clash and crackle merrily in tune with your raging appetite. The chicken satellite (boneless chicken with mushroom sauce, mushroom, fresh cream and cheese) is just about okay. Topped with oodles of cream cheese, it smacks of no originality. The vegetable sizzler with pepper sauce and mushroom also disappoints. The only redeeming feature? The wine and mushroom sauce, which is spicy and light, with a nice full-bodied flavour. Maybe the seafood and lamb options in the section will help change my opinion, but that will have to wait for another day.

Not wanting to be deterred, we optimistically opt for the sizzling brownie. An utter disappointment, the brownie is too hard and tastes a bit burnt. The food at Kobe is smokin’ and sizzlin’ all right, but just for all the wrong reasons.